Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!mtunx!mtune!icus!limbic!gil
From: gil@limbic.UUCP (Gil Kloepfer Jr.)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: AMAC bugs?
Summary: Try to use MAC-65...
Message-ID: <135@limbic.UUCP>
Date: 8 Jun 88 04:06:11 GMT
References: <8806061516.AA03720@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Reply-To: gil@limbic.UUCP (Gil Kloepfer Jr.)
Organization: ICUS Computer Group, Islip, NY
Lines: 31

In article <8806061516.AA03720@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> SHAFFERJ@BKNLVMS.BITNET ("Jim Shaffer, Jr.") writes:
|>A while ago someone mentioned that there were some serious bugs in the
|>Atari Macro Assembler. Since I've just started using it, what are these bugs?

Ugh...it has been so long ago that I don't remember them all!!  I'll try to
recap what I can:

	1.  AMAC does NOT work under SpartaDOS.  They do something tricky
	    with the I/O that most programs don't do.

	2.  I've seen symbols get "lost" somewhere when you write large
	    programs.  By lost I mean they get undefined, etc.  Sorry, I
	    can't elaborate further, but I do know I spent many hours
	    pulling my hair out on this one.

	3.  (not a bug) Larger programs get tedious in the edit..assemble..
	    run..boot.. cycle.  You need to load a separate editor, and
	    AMAC itself isn't small.

Unfortunately, these are the major points I can remember.  I started using
MAC-65 and found it was MUCH easier to use than AMAC.  There are a couple
of things missing in MAC-65, but assembly time is reduced TREMENDOUSLY using
MAC-65, it works under SpartaDOS, it has a built-in editor  --  all in all
I found using MAC-65 a pleasure.  I recommend it over AMAC if at all possible.

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